Choosing an inversion table can be incredibly hard work. There are countless brands and options to go for. If you start searching for them you will be bombarded with ads and promotion leaflets trying to convince you that the latests ‘helix leg shackle’ is the best or that some patented swivel hinge is essential.

I spent lots of time trying to choose the best inversion tables, and settled on the Innova Fitness ITX9600 after reading the review. f you are like me, you are probably having a hard time selecting the best inversion table for you, with so many different brands and models available. You probably got tired of reading promotional articles out there that try to endorse what they consider the best one on the market. And lets not forget that we all know every single product claims that it is the best. I also spent a lot of time researching and finally choose an inversion table for my father – he has suffered from chronic back pain for almost 10 years now.

After a long time searching and reading articles on many websites that promised to have the best. I got to a point where I was sick of all the so-called-advice those articles gave me. I’ve come to the conclusion that a product may be great for me and terrible for my neighbors. Buyers need to acquire information on more than one product and then decide which one is truly the best one for him or her.

The best idea is to choose your budget and stick to it. For under $100 we would suggest looking second hand, as the quality is not great at this level. Simple and effective tables come in arround $100-$200. These are safe and reasobaly well built tables. However as you move up through the price ranges you see a rapind improvement in quality and features. If you want the highest quality tables then $300 should be your mark. Honestly we don’t see any point in spending more that about $500 for an inversion table.

Few things have been as well studied as inversion tables. There have been hundreds of articles published by hospitals, physicians, universities and research centres showing the advantages and effectiveness of inversion treatments.

This is a summary of the key findings of the studies:

Rejuvenation of Spine Discs: The discs of the spine are key pinch points for pain. Many people are not aware of the importance they play in keeping your back safe and pain free. Over time discs can be pinched, or swell, thin or herniate. All of these issues slows your movements, causes pain and discomfort and can lead to permanent injury. Through regular inversion treatments and reducing the pressure on these important ligaments you give the discs time to heal and repair themselves.

Muscle relaxation; You spend the day standing and sitting. All this time the body is working hard to support itself. Leg and core muscles hold you up, shoulders are pulled to support the arms and so on. Overtime the body needs to relieve this stress. Inversion gives the muscles the chance to do this, and is one of the best ways of reliving muscle tension. Some inversion tables even feature massage balls, so in addition to relieving pressure you can also administer self massages.

Back Pain; Back pain is a more general issue to the spinal discs mentioned above. the back and ribs are a complex weave of bone, muscle and tissue all working together to provide a strong frame for the body and protection for your important organs, such as the heart and lungs. Unlike the brain which does not have to expand and contract, the lungs can increase their volume 4 fold in a healthy adult. This means the the ribs and back need to be able to flex to accommodate this increase in volume. All this adds complexity and a chance for things to go wrong. Using inversion treatments allows the circulation of the blood to divert allowing the blood to flow to areas that normally receive less and helps repair damage done over time.

Improved Blood Circulation; When we are children our body and blood vessels are incredibly springy and can stretch and flex with ease. This is perfect for letting our blood flow easily through the body, reaching our extremities with little resistance. As we become older that suppleness deteriorates, and blood cannot flow to all the little areas of our body that we were used to. By using inversion it uses gravity to force blood that would otherwise gather in our feet to flow to other areas of our body. This can provide relief and comfort to aching parts of the body.

Maintained Height and posture; As we age bad habits around posture can start creeping in. Over time this can lead to us looking slumped, causing back pain and making shorter. Through a regular use of inversion therapy its easy to revers this trend and resolve common posture issues.

Inversion Table Risks; While there are no medical risks to inversion therapy, at least none as published. There are risks associated with using them. These are more due to user error, particluary when using a cheap or homemade inversion table. Failure to secure the feet properly, or a table collapsing are the main issues. However a properly secured and set up table is as safe as sleeping in your own bed.

They generally consist of a table that can be tilted while a patient is strapped safely on and turned upside down. Inversion occurs when the feet are higher than the level of the heart. At this point blood moves from the lower end of the body up to the head. This can be beneficial to suffers of headaches, or swollen ankles, either by supplying more blood, or allowing pressure to be relieved.

Proponents of inversion therapy believe that the change in weight distribution caused by hanging by the feet or the ankles can be therapeutic, and easy muscle or joint pain.

Chiropractors call this form of therapy spinal decompression, which is a form of Spinal Traction. Traction being the gentle pulling of muscle and tissue to relieve pressure.

There are dozens of different reasons for wanting to perform inversion treatments such as:

Pain Relief

Pain relief is one of the most common uses for inversion therapy. The daily pressure of the spine compressing under gravity can be to much for some. Often the only relief comes from being able to decompress the spine at the end of the day.

Helping the Respiratory System

Inversion therapy can help breathing, or clearing the sinuses. Mucus can easily build up at the back of the throat, practicing inversion is perfect to help shift the build up. This in turn leaves airways clear.

Circulatory System Improvements

Taking the pressure off the legs can allow varicose veins to recover, and improves heart function as it takes the stress off.

Digestive & Immune System

Inversion can aid digestion, as the food is shifted round your stomach, it can also boost the immune system by easing pressure on the lymphatic systems

This new blog contains for more details on what inversion therapy can do and how it works.